A sociolinguistic study on the use of coke in the RGV.

摘要

This is a sociolinguistic study examining the relationship between the usage of the term coke and the population of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) through surveys and informal interviews. The study seeks to explain why (if) this phenomenon persists in daily interactions of everyday speech and to identify any particular connections between Spanish/Mexican culture intertwined in the network of English and Spanish usage in the RGV. Furthermore, it pursues to address what social factors have an influence on the terms that people in the RGV choose to use and what implications this influence can provide for Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Previous studies have identified the various regions where certain terms for soft drinks are used. However few have tried to explain why this phenomenon persists. This research seeks to go a step further and investigate why this is the case and what factors lead to its popularity in this specific region. To do this, undergraduate students from UTPA, local HEB employees, and seasonal residents (Winter Texans), and Coca-Cola employees, have been polled, surveyed and informally interviewed in an effort to make connections between the usage of coke and social conventions. The findings from this study include a response to why coke is used so frequently in this context and what implications its usage can project on other communities where similar occurrences persist. This study will be beneficial to the field of sociolinguistics by providing insights into the relationship between regional terms and the specific speech community of the RGV.